This article is written by guest contributor Kyle Lantion. Kyle is an avid comic fan and loves all things comic-related. So much so that his favorite tabletop hobby is painting minis for Marvel Crisis Protocol and other miniatures. When he’s not painting, he’s probably playing in or Judging Flesh and Blood TCG Tournaments all around the city.

Downey As Doom – The Big Reveal

At the recent San Diego Comic Con, Marvel Studios unveiled one of the biggest surprises in a very long time. Robert Downey Jr. is set to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not to reprise his long-time role as Tony Stark, but as one of Iron Man’s biggest foes: Doctor Victor Von Doom! This reveal was greeted by a full round of applause and cheering at the event but a rather mixed reception from the online community. While most fans are giddy at the return of one of their all-time favorite actors from the original MCU, there are some who are not as jazzed to have the well-known actor come back in a different role despite his character’s death in Avengers: Endgame. While details are still unclear whether this Doom is set to be a Tony Variant in the Marvel Multiverse or the actual Victor Von Doom, all we know is that a lot of fans are still trying to wrap their head around the announcement.

Downey As Doom – Is There A Logic To It?

If you’re like us, then you probably want to know everything there is to know about Doctor Doom and Iron Man’s relation in the comics and just how Marvel Studios can adapt this for the silver screen. While most fans are hoping that this Doctor Doom isn’t a Tony Stark Variant from the Multiverse, It’s not impossible to rule out the possibility of an adaptation of Marvel’s Iron Man: Demon in an Armor story. In this What-if storyline, Tony Stark replaces Reed Richards as Victor Von Doom’s college roommate and is eventually tricked by Doom into unwittingly swapping bodies. Tony, with his memory wiped, lives his life as Victor and inevitably becomes the philanthropist he was always meant to be, just in another body. While he and Doom turned Tony Stark face off in the final part of the story, Tony wins against Victor and continues to live as Doctor Doom, now a symbol of heroism and respect. The Marvel Cinematic Universe could potentially use this storyline but instead make it so that Victor in Tony’s body wins instead and is now living as the villain Doctor Doom.

Confused? We sure were at first as well, but there’s another adaptation that Marvel could use, and that’s the Infamous Iron Man storyline, in which Doctor Doom has a supposed change of heart and assumes the mantle of Iron Man. Regardless, this story adaptation wouldn’t properly explain why MCU Doctor Doom would look like the deceased Tony Stark. At the end of the day, all these speculations could just be wrong, and Downey would just be playing the original Doctor Doom himself, providing mostly voice work as the character is almost always seen with a mask.

Whether you’re a Downey as Doom supporter or a skeptic of the actor’s return, the fact remains that Doctor Doom is going to be a crucial character in the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars down the road and is a character the MCU needs to introduce as soon as possible. We’re set to see Doom on the silver screen in Avengers: Doomsday, showing in theaters in 2026. 

Those who aren’t too familiar with Dr. Doom in the comics might have known about him in video games! Here are our favorite appearances.

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Here are 3 Of Our Favorite Dr. Doom Appearances In Video Games – VRSUS